Tweeting Along the Way

Double Edged Sword

Technology is a double edged sword. It has the ability to connect us to every inch of the world, yet can disconnect us from the people right in front of us. There are several times that I have created a relationship with someone through social media, but I find it difficult to develop the relationship in person after so long.

This concept of technology was something I wanted to personify. On account of my Poison Apple project, I was familiar with the process of taking apart phones. Therefore, I got out my tool belt and took apart more phones than I could count. I then put things pieces into a mosaic depicting two people having a conversation.

Flashing Blade

The social media aspect of this project started during the Year in a Bar, as that is when the phones arrived. I released teasers as I took apart a phone here and there. It was mainly to get interest and a delay tactic, until I could think of a title. With my tweets, I got responses from a professor and a classmate. They were interested in how I acquired the array of phones and what I was doing. However all was revealed in due time, and they were both excited to see the finish project.

At this current time, the collection of tweets regarding this project is unavailable. Thank you for your patience while I transfer the story to another account.

A Detailed Handle

The collection of phones I had were much older than the iPhone 5c I had taken apart in my first project. However, there were familiar pieces and ones that were down sized. The main difference between the new smart phones and the old flip phones was the screws used to hold the phone together. The iPhone and the other smart phones (which included an HTC and a Samsung) had several screws. For example, the iPhone used 51 screws, and the HTC used T6 screws and a standard Phillips. However, because I did not have T6 screwdriver, I was unable to completely open up the HTC for a screw count. The smart phones exceeded the flip phones with screws immensely. The average number of screws for a flip phone was about 12. Among the flip phones, I had multiple Motorola (only one was able to be opened by violent means, because the screw was an obscure pentagon head.

On pieces of the Poison Apple, there were random markings that I hoped were something interesting. However, the multitude of phones showed that the marks were a means to signal off that the piece passed inspection. Some marks were colored dots, others were signatures or initials.

The Other Blade

While presenting this project in the Digital Studies Symposium, the final product became an interactive piece. I had created a puzzle for people to try and guess the title of the poem by taking out the key letters of the title out of the keyboard speech bubbles. It was a great challenge that showed how technology defines us and our thought process. Some people needed to look at the keyboard to solve it, others figured out the missing letters through process of elimination.

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About Stephanie

Latin is my major and teaching is my aim. I enjoy puns and making learning and life dorkily effective. This is the term I use to define my teaching philosophy. It means that things do get done, but can be done in a dorky fashion.